There are movies that people remember or, conversely, forget for all the right reasons. Some may be classics of cinema while others may amount to simple (or guilty) pleasures. A whole host of others you may actively like, dislike or, worst of all, forget over time as they were too mediocre to bother with.
John Wayne, according to IMDB, has an incredible 179 acting credits on his resume from his first screen appearance in 1926 to his last in 1976. Thus in those fifty years he appeared on average in a little more than 3 films (as well as a handful of TV shows and shorts) per year. Its been said that no other Hollywood actor has appeared in as many leading roles in movies than he has.
I can certainly believe it.
Today, John Wayne is probably best known for his “seminal” or “classic” movie roles in Stagecoach or The Searchers or Red River or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. If these titles mean absolutely nothing to you, then you may have heard of True Grit, the film that gave John Wayne an Oscar in the late 1960’s and which was recently remade by the Coen Brothers with Jeff Bridges in John Wayne’s role.
While the films listed above barely scratch the surface of the staggering number of classic works John Wayne was involved in (trust me, there are many, many more worth of checking out!), the sheer number of films he made naturally means that some would, inevitably, be forgotten.
Which brings us to The War Wagon. Released in 1967 and co-starring the also legendary Kirk Douglas, The War Wagon is a delightful comedic heist film whose big distinction is its wild west setting. Most heist film tropes are well represented here: The leader of the group, Taw Jackson (John Wayne) has a very personal reason for wanting to do this particular heist. The group he hires to help him do the job are a motley bunch with certain “skills” as well as liabilities. Of course, many of them don’t see eye to eye. Finally, their target, in this case the armor plated “war wagon”, is something that’s considered “heist proof”.
Sounds familiar, right?
But what makes The War Wagon work is the interplay between stars John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. These two movie legends go at each other playfully, sarcastically, and, for the most part, hilariously. By 1967, John Wayne and Kirk Douglas knew exactly what their cinematic strengths were and, in this film, they play them to the hilt. John Wayne’s Taw Jackson is a mountain of a man who says little and lets his fists (and guns) do his talking when need be. Yet he is also a grounded man who, despite the larceny he’s currently working on, is an honest soul. So honest, in fact, that by the end of the film (I will be cautious here about spoilers), can’t lie about the end result of the heist to someone he could easily have.
Kirk Douglas’ Lomax, on the other hand, is a slick slick slick gun-for-hire that values money above everything else. Mr. Douglas projects larger than life grandiosity (not unlike what he did in Spartacus) and pushes and pushes this grandiosity until it runs just shy of outright buffoonery. And yet, there’s still a danger about his character, a feeling that he might switch sides and leave his mates stranded…or worse. He’s in it, after all, for the money and nothing more.
I’ve seen The War Wagon on television over the years and always found it an entertaining ride. However, when the BluRay was finally released this week, I had to pick it up and see the film the way it was meant to be seen in its proper aspect ratio.
What a delight!
Ok, let’s face it: While The War Wagon may not be one of John Wayne -or Kirk Douglas!- all time best films, it is a very solid piece of popcorn entertainment and seeing this movie the way it was meant to be seen was eye-popping. The rocky vistas the movie takes place in are grand and filled with a natural beauty. The towns the characters stop in have a gritty look that feels genuine. And the story moves along at a well-oiled clip, giving us action and humor in equal doses along with a very satisfying conclusion.
If there’s one major negative, for me it would be in Keenan Wynn’s role as Wes Fletcher. Mr. Wynn, another legendary actor known for a wealth of great character roles in a number of features, is unpleasantly one-note in this film.
Still, this “problem” is hardly a mortal one and its puzzling that The War Wagon isn’t better known today. Perhaps now, with the release of the BluRay, a new generation of film goers might find some fun in this unfairly forgotten film.
Recommended.